A national call for peace and unity

President George Manneh Weah sounded a passionate call Thursday, 26 July during Liberia’s 171st Independence Day celebration at the Centennial Pavilion on Ashmun Street, Monrovia when he called on all Liberians, including members of opposition political parties to join him in helping to build Liberia.

“No matter who you are and where you are, opposition or not, in the rural parts of the country or in the Diaspora, in the towns or villages or in the city, so as long as you are a Liberian, it is your patriotic and nationalistic duty to put your hands on deck to help us build our country,” he pleaded.

We believe this is a call coming from the bottom of the heart of a truly patriotic leader that Liberians irrespective of political, tribal, economic and religious diversity should answer to in our common goal to see Liberia progress.

Supporting our national leaders in ways that would promote peace, national unity and development should never be seen as a weakness. Rather, it is a demonstration of not only national pride, but sincere commitment to the country we all claim to love as Liberians.

Supporting the President and his government would mean giving our very best whether we are in the public sector or the private sector. As an individual citizen, it means doing you very best in whatever your hands find to do, keeping Liberia in mind.

No, no; it does not mean tearing one another down thru petty jealousy or carrying deep-rooted hate in our hearts for our fellow citizens, primarily because of current positions they may hold in government and achievements made over the years.

Yes, it would require that we be very patriotic and bold enough to condemn ills in government without implying in any way whatsoever that we hate those of fellow compatriots who are privileged to day to be in positions of service.

Lest we should forget, successes of the Weah-led administration are successes of all Liberians as nation. On the other hand, if this government does not achieve anything substantive due to the crab mentality, the entire country would have failed. God forbid!

Mr. Weah acknowledges that the task of building a vibrant nation is a momentous challenge that requires the overriding involvement of all of its citizens in a strong bond of peace and unity, stressing, “It is my hope that at the age 172, Liberia under our leadership would have accelerated the pace of the coming of the happy land that we will wish our country to be – a glorious land of liberty and prosperity by God’s command.”

Is someone listening? Are Liberians listening? This is a national call to duty that all patriotic Liberians must heed by coming together in unity to help lift the land of our nativity from the dungeon of poverty, misery and disease to justice, peace economic prosperity, and development.